War On Blight Heats Up In Shirley; Burned Out House Razed

SHIRLEY, NY — The war on blight continued in Shirley on Friday as a burned out house in Shirley was demolished.

Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine and Councilman Dan Panico were joined by Suffolk County Legislator Rudy Sunderman at the site of the house, located at 29 Schenk Road.

The house, "a total loss" due to a fire in Dec. 2017, was razed in accordance with Chapter 73 of the town code that provides a “fast track” to rid neighborhoods of unsafe structures, officials said.

The cost of demolition and debris removal is the responsibility of the property owner; the town places a lien on the property that is then placed on the tax bill. The county reimburses the town and then collect the money from the property owner, officials added.

“I commend Councilman Panico and our law department for acting swiftly to remove this dangerous eyesore from the neighborhood," Romaine said. "We are determined to clean up neighborhoods across the town and I warn negligent property owners that we will not tolerate dilapidated and unsafe houses in the Town of Brookhaven.”

Panico added: “We are giving people the quality of life that they deserve. Brookhaven's emphasis on quality of life is unprecedented and we are making dramatic positive changes in our neighborhoods.”

The most recent demolition was one in a series of undertakings to clean up blighted neighborhoods. Earlier in the month, a falling down structure located at 719 Riviera Drive was demolished, Panico said.

Panico posted a photo of the derelict home on his Facebook page and promised that another structure, 136 Riviera, would be coming down soon, too.

He also said that the town board would discuss, at its town board meeting, setting a public hearing on the demolition and clean up of another blighted property on Beaver Drive.

The board has been actively seeking to rid the landscape of the area of burned out, blighted parcels.

In April, a burned out "zombie house" that's long been an eyesore in the Mastic Beach community was also torn down, officials said.

The house, on Maywood Road, which sustained major damage from fires over the past three years, was deemed a dangerous nuisance in the neighborhood and sparked a public outcry from residents.

"We are dedicated and have committed to cleaning up and making Mastic Beach the beautiful waterfront community that it should be," Panico said. "As each of these houses come down, property values rise and we take another step forward to achieving the quality of life that residents deserve."

Not only will Brookhaven Town investigators be keeping an eye out for similar issues,
"Residents will also be seeing a great number of bulldozers and other heavy equipment in the area as we will continue to remove this suburban decay for a brighter future," he said.

Also in April the former Dairy Barn on William Floyd Parkway commenced, Panico said, with a list of others under consideration by the town board for demolition.

Patch courtesy photo.